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General Coding Out Steering Element in Sport Mode

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General Coding Out Steering Element in Sport Mode

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105S

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I’m probably going to get flamed and excommunicated for this post BUT my wife has just taken delivery of her standard 595. She loves the car, as do I, especially in sport mode but we both think that the steering in sport mode is lifeless and overly heavy.

I once owned an (eventually heavily modified) Audi B8 S4 bit it didn’t have Nav and hence the higher spec ‘individual’ settings just the Comfort, Auto and Dynamic buttons. In dynamic mode the steering had the same feeling as the 595 when in sport mode so I got just the steering element coded out using VAGCOM whilst retaining the stiffer dampers, throttle response, sports diff reaction and faster DSG shifting.

Could someone kindly tell me if it is possible to code just the steering element in a similar way on the 595?

Many thanks in anticipation
 
I doubt that you can code it off sadly.

Either due to there not being enough of a market for coding for Fiat, or Fiat licking down their ECUs tightly, there doesn’t seem to be the flexibility to code stuff in and out on Fiat products as there is for German cars. I have an F31 BMW and with some free software and a cheap cable I was able to code Bluetooth streaming in. Sadly this doesn’t seem to be the case for Fiat products.
 
The steering will also weight up like this if you're aren't in Sport and, er, you're on a track, going far faster than you can on public roads :rolleyes:

When it's like this (or in Sport), to start with it all feels a bit false and numb if you aren't moving at the sort of speeds it's suited to.

Obviously it's not meant for a trip to Tesco or parallel parking outside the school gates, but when you're exploiting it's speed (legally), the firmer feel to the steering stops it feeling too flighty and nervous.

Out and about on fast A roads with flowing bends, it does start to feel better, you do seem to corner a bit smoother as you tend to feed the steering in correctly the first time rather than over inputting on the initial turn in as it's too light and then correcting it.

I've not heard of anyone having it disabled.

Sport also sharpens the throttle up, my Turismo throttle feels quite slack and vague with Sport off, but super sharp with it on, so much so it's very hard to drive smoothly in traffic with it on, but like above, it all starts to make sense when you're in an environment where you can make use of it all.
Sadly, there's not many places here the the UK, clogged roads full of potholes don't make a happy Abarth owner. I took mine for a long weekend in Northern France before Christmas (the Mrs didn't enjoyed the Christmas market I lied we were going too) and the roads and car were brilliant, I can't wait to get back.
 
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Goudrons said:
The steering will also weight up like this if you're aren't in Sport and, er, you're on a track, going far faster than you can on public roads :rolleyes:

When it's like this (or in Sport), to start with it all feels a bit false and numb if you aren't moving at the sort of speeds it's suited to.

Obviously it's not meant for a trip to Tesco or parallel parking outside the school gates, but when you're exploiting it's speed (legally), the firmer feel to the steering stops it feeling too flighty and nervous.

Out and about on fast A roads with flowing bends, it does start to feel better, you do seem to corner a bit smoother as you tend to feed the steering in correctly the first time rather than over inputting on the initial turn in as it's too light and then correcting it.

I've not heard of anyone having it disabled.

Sport also sharpens the throttle up, my Turismo throttle feels quite slack and vague with Sport off, but super sharp with it on, so much so it's very hard to drive smoothly in traffic with it on, but like above, it all starts to make sense when you're in an environment where you can make use of it all.
Sadly, there's not many places here the the UK, clogged roads full of potholes don't make a happy Abarth owner. I took mine for a long weekend in Northern France before Christmas (the Mrs didn't enjoyed the Christmas market I lied we were going too) and the roads and car were brilliant, I can't wait to get back.
Click to expand...

I know exactly what you mean mate but my Golf R with the steering set to 'race' in 'individual mode' is beautifully progressive going through some of the amazing twisties that we have here in Wales yet perfectly acceptable even when going to Tesco for example. I agree turning 'sport' off in her 595, the performance is so laggy there's no point in turning it off..... except for that bloody steering, especially just about off centre if that makes sense. Bearing in mind that the car rarely gets out of town it would be great to have the best of both worlds with that throttle response coupled with the normal steering. I will keep looking for a way to resolve it
 
Mine's not laggy, but initially, you do need to put a lot of input into the pedal, it's like there is little response from it for the first inch or so when not in Sport.

Once the pedal hooks up, there's nowt wrong with the rest of it's travel, there plenty to keep me entertained around town.

I seem to think the 165 in normal kicks out the same torque as the 145 in Sport, so I guess I don't find normal to normal.


I was thinking about a pedal tuning box, just to sharpen the response up a bit, though I'm not sure what will happen when I do turn Sport on, I'll probably need to turn the pedal box off.


You could always fit a Bluespark tuning box, they seem to be very popular with the Abarth owners and some of the Abarth forums that I've seen you post on get a discount.
You should be able to up the power to Sport sort of output in normal, then you'd be able to keep the steering light and just forget Sport mode.
 
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Goudrons said:
Mine's not laggy, but initially, you do need to put a lot of input into the pedal, it's like there is little response from it for the first inch or so when not in Sport.

Once the pedal hooks up, there's nowt wrong with the rest of it's travel, there plenty to keep me entertained around town.

I seem to think the 165 in normal kicks out the same torque as the 145 in Sport, so I guess I don't find normal to normal.


I was thinking about a pedal tuning box, just to sharpen the response up a bit, though I'm not sure what will happen when I do turn Sport on, I'll probably need to turn the pedal box off.


You could always fit a Bluespark tuning box, they seem to be very popular with the Abarth owners and some of the Abarth forums that I've seen you post on get a discount.
You should be able to up the power to Sport sort of output in normal, then you'd be able to keep the steering light and just forget Sport mode.
Click to expand...

I was actually thinking the same thing about a tuning box because that would certainly sharpen it up whilst enjoying the lighter steering but I am concerned that it might be detectable at the dealer even though it's been removed before a service. Do you know if that's the case mate?
 
No, they just modify the signal from the MAP and Boost sensor to fool the fueling, they are programmed not to take them over the specs the ECU expects to see, so don't cause problems.
Unplug it and it's all back to normal.

Bluespark are very popular on the Abarth forums, there's an Abarth discount worth around £25 off.
https://www.abarthforum.co.uk/500-abarth-tuning/bluespark-tuning-box-users/

This is the box for the 145hp, fitting guide is pretty clear and their CS is very good, they are actually very active on the Abarth forums themselves.
https://www.bluesparkautomotive.com/abarth-500-595-1-4-t-jet-140-145-ps-petrol

All the Bluesparks I've used before have different settings, so you can fiddle with it until you hit your own sweet spot, though they do tend to throw the boost gauge and average fuel consumption figures off a bit.

TMC make a similar box with similar results, but for more money and I think Abarth themselves can sell and fit you a power upgrade within the first year, but it's really expensive and includes Koni FSD and the likes.
https://www.abarthcars.co.uk/kit-accessories-new/160-hp-tuning-kit-160-hp-upgrade-kit

One thing that kit does include is the BMC panel filter, you can pick one of these up for around £40 or so, this should aid the tuning box a little as they aren't as restrictive as the paper elements.

My Turismo came with one as standard and does have a nice induction growl, though since fitting the Monza it's not as apparent for some reason!
 
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Goudrons said:
No, they just modify the signal from the MAP and Boost sensor to fool the fueling, they are programmed not to take them over the specs the ECU expects to see, so don't cause problems.
Unplug it and it's all back to normal.

Bluespark are very popular on the Abarth forums, there's an Abarth discount worth around £25 off.
https://www.abarthforum.co.uk/500-abarth-tuning/bluespark-tuning-box-users/

This is the box for the 145hp, fitting guide is pretty clear and their CS is very good, they are actually very active on the Abarth forums themselves.
https://www.bluesparkautomotive.com/abarth-500-595-1-4-t-jet-140-145-ps-petrol

All the Bluesparks I've used before have different settings, so you can fiddle with it until you hit your own sweet spot, though they do tend to throw the boost gauge and average fuel consumption figures off a bit.

TMC make a similar box with similar results, but for more money and I think Abarth themselves can sell and fit you a power upgrade within the first year, but it's really expensive and includes Koni FSD and the likes.
https://www.abarthcars.co.uk/kit-accessories-new/160-hp-tuning-kit-160-hp-upgrade-kit

One thing that kit does include is the BMC panel filter, you can pick one of these up for around £40 or so, this should aid the tuning box a little as they aren't as restrictive as the paper elements.

My Turismo came with one as standard and does have a nice induction growl, though since fitting the Monza it's not as apparent for some reason!
Click to expand...

Many thanks for all this mate, it really is very much appreciated and good to know that theirs is undetectable, I know that Bluespark claim it to be the case but many VAG tuning box suppliers make the same claim but in reality they are indeed detectable at the dealer, despite being removed beforehand and throwing up that dreaded (VAG) TD1 giving them all sorts of excuses not to honour warranty claims (like a wheel bearing has failed because it has been tuned sir!!!!) so that really is reassuring to know. That filter sounds good too along with a bit more induction noise
 
About the cheapest I've seen.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fiat-500-595-Abarth-BMC-Performance-Upgrade-Air-Filter-Element/123523985641?epid=24025129679&hash=item1cc29a70e9:g:fTEAAOSwVixcBRRN:rk:4:pf:0

The best £350 you'll ever spend.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fiat-500-Abarth-Monza-Rear-Exhaust/163457089377?hash=item260ecd3f61:g:5aQAAOSwZ3pb7uHg:rk:2:pf:0
Makes these sound feckin' glorious!
Make sure the flap isn't seized on any used one.
No massive power increase, but they do breath and rev easier after around 3800-4000rpm when the flap opens.
Cold starts on early mornings really impresses your neighbours, they'll love you for it!


Shorter front to back gear throw and makes changes much smoother, it also sorts out the occasional "shunt" selecting reverse, particularly when cold.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4H-Tech-A-Shift-Shortshifter-for-Fiat-500-Abarth-1-4L-Turbo-Models/321865298341?hash=item4af0aab1a5:g:k8gAAOSwCVtcGmLe:rk:1:pf:0
 
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Goudrons said:
About the cheapest I've seen.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fiat-500-595-Abarth-BMC-Performance-Upgrade-Air-Filter-Element/123523985641?epid=24025129679&hash=item1cc29a70e9:g:fTEAAOSwVixcBRRN:rk:4:pf:0

The best £350 you'll ever spend.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fiat-500-Abarth-Monza-Rear-Exhaust/163457089377?hash=item260ecd3f61:g:5aQAAOSwZ3pb7uHg:rk:2:pf:0
Makes these sound feckin' glorious!
Make sure the flap isn't seized on any used one.
No massive power increase, but they do breath and rev easier after around 3800-4000rpm when the flap opens.
Cold starts on early mornings really impresses your neighbours, they'll love you for it!


Shorter front to back gear throw and makes changes much smoother, it also sorts out the occasional "shunt" selecting reverse, particularly when cold.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4H-Tech-A-Shift-Shortshifter-for-Fiat-500-Abarth-1-4L-Turbo-Models/321865298341?hash=item4af0aab1a5:g:k8gAAOSwCVtcGmLe:rk:1:pf:0
Click to expand...

Bloody hell mate you're giving me the modding bug for this car already and it's not even my car!!!! A slippery slope, I know I've been there, but very satisfying. All very reasonable for this car compared with my S4. On the plus side my missus wouldn't even notice any of it if installed :D
 
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105S said:
On the plus side my missus wouldn't even notice any of it if installed :D
Click to expand...

She'll notice a Monza, no doubt about it!
It's just meaty enough without being stupid.
When I swapped mine, it was immediately apparent this is how the car was meant to sound.






If you really want stupid, try a Bombardone.
There's one that passes my house mid afternoon and it rattles my windows!

 
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